Gerkenstein Member

First off, BUMP! Second: 1) Log EVERYTHING you eat. 2) Drink LOTS of water. 3) Start with attainable goals, not something outlandish that will be difficult to do. The sense of accomplishment will give you the motivation to surge ahead. 4) It's okay to have "off" days, but track them and don't wallow in guilt/self pity. If…

If you copy and paste everything from the link except the [IMG]at the beginning and end it works.YOU LOOK AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What an INCREDIBLE transformation!!!!!!! I am so proud of you!!!!!!! I don't think I could possibly use enough exclamation points to express to you how excited I am for you!!!! :happy:…

Gained a little this week which is a big disappointment, but I'm 5 lbs down from yesterday (was retaining a lot of water due to sore muscles). Cranking it up on notch this week and added new April and weekly goals on my profile. Eating clean is the biggest one I'm striving for this week. Would really love to record a loss…

Disappointed, but not surprised...no loss this week again. My legs are still hurting like crazy from Wednesday's bootcamp. I know I'm retaining water like crazy, but still would have loved to see the scale move down. I'm waiting until Sunday (at the latest) to turn in my official weigh in this week. Need to clean up my…

Denise, I LOVE milk! This is a great challenge. Had my milk last night with my protein after a vigorous bootcamp. Walking 2 miles today hopefully beating my time of 36 minutes (had my 11 yo dog with me and she struggled a little to keep up). :tongue: Have done okay this week. Focusing on less sugar next week. Oh! Also,…

Hi Nola! Yeah, we're all doing as many jumping jacks, sit-ups, and push-ups as possible until Sunday, 3/27. Do what you can, there was no set # to strive for. Also, today I weighed in and it was the same as last week, 276.2 :grumble: Oh well, it's better than gaining I guess. Going to work extra hard this upcoming week to…

Love seeing everyone's challenge updates! I'll be completely honest, I haven't started. But I WILL reach my goal of 300 each by end of day Sunday. That means 60 each everyday until then. Keep up the great work everyone! I'll update tomorrow with tonight's challenge progress. :happy:

These are great suggestions! And I have almost everything at home. I think I'll try the garlic powder and lime juice, maybe add a little of the Cajun seasoning mix that I have at home. Thanks everyone! Now I have several ideas to try with the 2 lbs of shrimp I have at home in the freezer! BTW, I LOL'd because I googled…

This is gonna be a GREAT group! :drinker: Hi everyone! Please, call me Sarah. :happy: Denise offered me to set up our first challenge this week. So I've been thinking about it all day and came up with a little mix. It's all physical tests. Complete as many jumping jacks, push-ups (can be modified i.e. wall, knees, etc.),…

I'M IN! I will say upfront that I'm bad at checking in on challenges throughout the whole length of time, but I'm going to really focus and do my best to update here once a week. My current weigh in day is Friday and (sorry) I'm unwilling to change that. I only recently started doing Fridays and they really work for me. I…

That is awesome! I've never thought of it like that. Going to try out this new outlook. Thanks for sharing, Tim, and congrats on the weight loss so far! You're doing fantastic!!!!

UGH! I know EXACTLY what you mean. I ALWAYS have this problem. One exercise I've heard to slim hips is using ankle weights or resistance bands around your ankles. Stand next to a wall and stabilize yourself with your left arm on the wall. Then swing your right leg directly out to the side. Do 10-12 reps and repeat for…

I love greek yogurt (Fage brand is what I've tried the most of). It's great for you because it's full of protein, much more than regular yogurt. I really like the flavored Fage brand (the honey one is really good, but of course you can just buy the tub of plain Fage and mix it with honey at home). Hope this helps!

I know a lot of people on here use Polars, but I recently saw Consumer Reports rated the Timex Personal Trainer T5G971 the best. It's anywhere from $40-60 depending on where you buy it (check amazon or ebay for cheaper prices, but may be used). I've asked for one for my birthday and can't WAIT to start using it. Whatever…

Sorry, meant to reply to this earlier. I'm 5'8" and have a large frame. I just recently changed my goal weight from 160 to 170. I remember being a very happy size 13/14 when I was 188 so I figure a little further and we'll see where that gets me. I'd love to be able to fit into a 12.

Can you describe why you like the magazines a little more? That would really help me out! Leaning towards Shape right now.

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Thanks for the laugh! So glad you can see the difference yourself now. Be careful on those stairs until you get new PJs! :happy:

I LOVE KBs!!! I started doing KB workouts back in June and love them. I still do them occasionally, though it's never my primary or only workout. It really is a great cardio and strength exercise. Though, if you buy a kb start small. I'm a strong woman and I wrenched my back when I started with the 10lb. Start with 5 or…

My last name is Gerke (rhymes with "turkey). My best friend and I both speak German and always make up nicknames for each other. Gerkenbergen was another I was thinking about, but I just like Gerkenstein (I pronounce it both "stine" and "steen" just depends on my mood) :laugh:

I've been on the NuvaRing for about 8 years. I can't remember the side effects I first experienced, they were negligible at best. I did gain weight, but I was also newly married and have steadily been gaining until I decided to lose this year so I can't blame that totally on the bc. I do actually have my annual today and…

I know! So incredibly sad. He was such a great man, actor, comedian. Love "Airplane!" Just watched it last week actually. He will be missed.

THAT IS AWESOME!!!!! Congratulations, lady! You've worked so hard for it. Those bad days are brutal, but you are WORTH IT!!! So proud of you. Stick with it. :flowerforyou:

Bump! I love fish and asparagus is my favorite veggie! Thanks for sharing!

I'm drinking at least 10 glasses of water a day, usually more. I honestly haven't really felt a change in the way my clothes fit, so I'm not counting on that to tell me if I've lost a few more pounds. I have tracked my inches, but haven't measured since before the plateau (lost over 8 inches). Thanks for the encouragement.…

Hello, everyone! Sorry I've been MIA. A little over a week ago a friend's husband died in a car accident right in front of their house. The whole family was home and I later found out his parents live next door and also heard the accident. It is a truly horrible situation. But I'm back and proud that I didn't deal with my…

I took it for a while and worked with a couple ladies who LOVED it. It was too pricey for me and I didn't feel a big difference when I first started using it. Some people don't notice anything for a month or so though. I just didn't have the money to try it that long.

Update from yesterday's post: WEIGHT THIS WEEK: 270 >:( stayed the same AIM FOR NEXT WEEK: 268 Really getting on myself about my food. I need to clean it up and get it together. I honestly can't say I'm surprised I didn't lose. Next week is a different story. Did 40 crunches yesterday so I'm nice and warmed up for the…

WEIGHT THIS WEEK: I weigh in on Wednesday mornings so will post my weight tomorrow AIM FOR NEXT WEEK: Will update tomorrow depending on loss WHETHER YOU MANAGED A FULL WEEK WITHOUT CHOCOLATE IN WEEK 1?! I MADE IT THE WHOLE WEEK!!! I really struggled the first 2 days. First day, someone brought in a huge basket of 100 cal…

I always increase weight. Women do not have enough muscle to naturally become bulky so don't be afraid of gaining muscle, that's what makes you look toned and makes you stronger. Who wants to spend an extra 15-20 minutes doing more reps? I would much rather lift 2-5 more lbs than take more time. That's just me.

LOL I don't think you're an *kitten*, Ryan. We all have different challenges to face. I would also recommend talking to your doctor. If just diet doesn't help they may be able to suggest something else. Good luck!